Basic Party

A basic party consists of 3-6 characters. Most groups contain 4. I will list some ideas for what would make for successful parties of each size. Please note that there are really no wrong options and that the goal is to have fun.

3 Members:
1)Fighter, Cleric, multi-classed Rogue/Wizard-> covers all bases although weak in mage and expert
2)Paladin, Cleric, Bard-> concentrates on healing, again weak in expert and mage

4 Members:
1)Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Wizard-> the classic party covering all bases, contains no glaring weaknesses
2)Barbarian, Paladin, Cleric, Rogue-> features extra healing and combat ability at the expense of the later damage potential of a mage

5 members:
1)Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Wizard, Bard-> as the classic party but with what is considered by many as the ultimate 5th character added
2)Barbarian, Ranger, Cleric, Sorcerer, Rogue-> this alternative offers more melee ability and the spontaneous castings of the sorcerer, a fun alternative

6 members:
1)Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Wizard, Bard, Paladin-> this contains the classic party along with the best 2 extra characters in many peoples opinion
2)Fighter, Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Rogue, Wizard-> this is a melee and healing heavy party that lacks nothing

I am currently in a group of 4 and our party consists of a Fighter, Paladin, Wizard, and multi-class Fighter/Sorcerer. We have ben quite successful so far and are enjoying ourselves.

Basic Class Info

D&D characters are defined by their class(es). A group is usually made up of 3-6 characters and they need to fulfill many roles. In the most basic sense these roles are Warrior, Priest, Mage, and Expert. I will discuss the 11 basic classes as they fall under each role. Note that some classes have multiple roles...they will be talked about under their main role.

Warriors: This includes 4 classes->Fighter, Barbarian, Ranger, and Paladin

Fighters can use all armors, all shields, and most weapons. They have high health and can learn the most combat oriented feats of any class. They shine in melee combat or as ranged combatants.

Barbarians can use most armors, most shields, and most weapons. They have the highest health of all classes. Barbarians usually focus on causing a lot of damage really fast. They shine in melee combat because of their ability to "go nuts" in melee.

Rangers can use only the lightest of armors, most shields and most weapons. They also gain some priestly spell casting ability based upon animals. Rangers can choose to focus on fighting with 2 weapons simultaniously or on ranged combat. They excel at either. They are also excellent trackers. They have the lowest health of all warrior-types.

Paladins are a combo of warrior of priest. They are holy knights caple of using all armor, most shields, and most weapons. They gain a lot of neat abilities useful for healing the party. They have special power over the undead but it lacks in comparison to that of the cleric. They have high health and are usually very charismatic. They excel in combat, as party spokesman, or as a secondary healer.

Priests: This includes 3 classes-> Cleric, Druid, and Monk

Clerics can use all armors, most shields, and a lot of weapons. They are the best healers in the game. They have average health and can fill in in combat but are best suited for a supporting role in combat as a healer. Clerics do have some damaging spells but they are nothing flashy. They also have great power over the undead.

Druids can use only a few weapons and have limited armor and shield options. They get to have an animal companion that can help the party as an extra combatant or scout. They get a lot of neat spells based around nature and can shapeshift into animal and eventually other forms. Their main role is as a support character and secondary healer.

Monks are priests of a differant sont. They have few weapon options and no options for armor and shields. They best serve their party as unarmed combatants. They are martial artists whose magic comes not as spells but in special abilities granted to them. They excel as secondary combatants and can also act as scouts.

Mages: This includes 2 classes-> Wizards and Sorcerers.

Wizards are the premier spell casters of D&D. They can use very few weapons and no armors or shields(as these interfere with their spells). A wizards role is based upon which spells a wizard learns. There are options for attacking, aiding the party, defense, gathering information, as well as many others. Wizards have the lowest health and can die easily because of that. Wizards get extra feats related to spell casting and/or making magic items. Eventually wizards cause more damage than any other class.

Sorcerers have a lot of weapon options but have no options for armor or shields for the same reasons wizards do. Spell selection is limited for sorcerers and their role depends on the spells selected. They have access to the same spells as a wizard does. They have the lowest health and can die easily because of that.

Experts: This consists of 2 classes-> Rogue and Bard

Rogues have a decent amount of options for weapons and a very limited amount of armor options. They have no shield options. They have more skills than any other class and are the only class suited for finding and disarming traps. The have low health and do not engage the enemy head-on in combat. Instead they use stealth and try to sneak attack their enemies. They can usually excel at ranged combat because of their high dexterity.

Bards combine mage and expert roles. They have a lot of weapon options along with limited access to armor. They also gain a wide variety of spells
including mind-affects, sonic affects, and some healing. They have low health. A bards main role is as a buffer. Their songs can inspire the party on to many things.

Please note that i have only coverewd the 11 classes in the player's handbook. Other publications contain options for other base classes. Also note that certain feats can grant added weapon, armor, or shield options, and can also negate armors interferance of spells.

Basic Info

Dungeons and Dragons has become a mainstream game accepted by most of society instead of us nerdy few. I have ben playing D&D for over 2 decades and I am glad that it is finally gaining acceptance. Players require some "weird" dice, a players handbook, pencils, paper, a few friends, and an active imagination. The Dungeon Master tells the setting and is in charge of the rules, players tell what their character does and how their character reacts to the situation presented. It is like they are staring in their own action adveture movie.